WHEN Midori was growing up she had many ‘dream jobs’ – nun, zookeeper and librarian being just three. She also toyed with becoming an archaeologist or clinical psychologist.

But it’s the good fortune of audiences everywhere that the Japanese schoolgirl finally turned to performing as her chosen path.

Now, almost four decades after she first picked up a violin and three since she made her professional debut, the 39-year-old is set to pay only her second visit to Liverpool.

Her debut at the Philharmonic Hall came in 2008 when she performed Mendelssohn’s E minor concerto under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras.

“I remember the beautiful cathedral at the end of the street where the concert hall is,” she recalls.

“And I’m excited to be coming to Liverpool to play the Walton Concerto – the piece had one of its premieres in this city.”

It’s a piece Midori recently performed to acclaim at the Royal Albert Hall, with the Proms concert being broadcast on TV. And the violinist is enthusiastic about the work.

“I love the Walton Concerto!” she exclaims. “Among works by near-contemporary British composers it’s relatively new to me in terms of performance experience.

“It’s such a beautiful, exciting – and difficult – piece, and it’s always a treat to be able to play it.

“I first learned it in my pre-teens. I was browsing one of these calendars that showed the birthdates of the famous musicians, and when I came to the date of my mother’s birthday, there was Walton.”

Intrigued, the 10-year-old discovered not only had he written a violin concerto but that her local library had a recording, so she started to learn it.

She says: “I find the concerto has, amid the brilliant velocity, beautiful and serene moments and I think the contrast between the two is a defining feature of the work.”

Coincidentally, the composer wrote the work for violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz – and Midori holds the Heifetz chair in violin at the University of Southern California.

She smiles: “It’s only a coincidence, but there is a certain thrill in having the awareness of such connection.”

The musician has, in fact, lived in the US since she moved there in 1982, when she was 11, to study at the Julliard (New York’s prestigious music school) Pre-College.

She’s a passionate supporter of music in education and opportunities for the community which has led her to set up several programmes and organisations including Partners in Performance and Midori and Friends.

In the meantime, she’s much in demand across the globe – she heads for Peru on Monday ahead of Liverpool.

And from here, Midori goes on with the RLPO and Vasily Petrenko to repeat the Liverpool concert at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest the next weekend as part of the Phil’s tour of Romania and the Czech Republic.

“It will be my first visit to Romania,” she confides. “My brother has been, and told me about some of his experiences, but I don’t quite know what the city will be like, and I’m all ready for an adventure.”

Amazingly, the former ‘child prodigy’ turns 40 in October. So does she still harbour any ambitions?

“Oh many!” she says. “I think I'll continue to discover new sources of inspiration and excitement, as well as new challenges and ambitions, in all types of projects.”